Garden meadow

Garden re-wilding

We deliberately keep much of our small garden in south-west Sheffield as a meadow, which we keep under control with the minimum of management: mowing a few interesting 'lanes' on the 'lawn'; and some tidying up and cutting back some of the dead, tangled foliage in the autumn and before the spring re-growth.

Many gardeners would be horrified by this, as much of what we have they would consider weeds. But it is species-rich; my wife has documented 67 soft-stemmed plant species, not counting trees, shrubs, and mosses. We love it; and it is a haven for insects and other wildlife.